September Recap: Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions about eFoiling

We received many questions about eFoiling during the North Coast Harbor Boat Show and throughout the month of September. Here we recap the top 10 most common questions we received last month.

1. How fast does it go?

Up to 25 mph, but we generally stay within 10-15 mph for most of our leisure trips, which is an exhilarating ride.

2. How much does it weigh?

The board is 28 pounds, and the battery -- which you put in last before you go out in the water -- is 29 pounds.

3. How much does it cost?

It costs about the same as a new jet ski, or $12,000.

4. Is it easy to learn?

Yes. It is a lot easier to learn than most people think. The hardest part is learning to stand up and cruise for the first time. On average, it takes most people about 20 minutes to stand up. Once the board is cruising, it becomes stable and is easier to maneuver than a stand-up paddleboard over Lake Erie. Check out our video with cleveland.com for more information about our instruction. 

5. How long does the battery last?

Approximately an hour and a half, depending on the weight of the rider. Lighter riders tend to use less battery power during their rides.

6. How long does it take to charge a battery?

About 1.5 - 2 hours is how long it takes to charge a battery from zero to full power.

7. Does it float? What happens if you are riding on the lake and run out of a battery charge?

Yes, the board floats. The handheld trigger tells you exactly how much battery power you have left during your ride. In the event that you completely drain a battery, a safety mechanism kicks in and provides the rider with enough battery charge to troll back to shore. In the event, that a rider would completely run out, including the safety reserve, he or she could manually surf the board back in to shore.

8. Do they come in different colors?

The boards are available in blue, white and black, and there are four different sizes, as well as interchangeable wings. For a complete product listing, visit the Lift Foils website.

9. When were the products released? 

The manufacturer, Lift Foils, has been developing and fine-tuning the eFoil product for years before releasing it to the public for purchase in 2018. eFoil Over Erie is the first to bring the sport to Ohio and is one of the few affiliates in the Midwest. We also cover parts of Pennsylvania and upstate New York, too.

10. Do you sell them or rent them?

We don’t keep inventory ourselves, but we are an affiliate of the manufacturer and can assist you in purchasing or trying an eFoil. We do not offer rentals. We use our electric hydrofoils for private lessons and demonstrations to give potential buyers a chance to fly before they buy.

Charlotte, 74, eFoils at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

At the North Coast Harbor Boat Show a few weeks ago, I manned my tented booth and answered questions for those who stopped by to talk about our electric flying surfboard.

On the last day, just a couple hours before closing, my cell phone rang.

“Hey! My name is Charlotte. I saw you whizzing by on that surfboard at the boat show yesterday, and I said to myself, ‘I have to try it!’ Can I come by this afternoon to take a lesson?” she said.

I jotted down her name, and we set a time to meet and get her ready for eFoiling during our last open time slot. When she arrived in a one-piece black Speedo swimsuit with a beaming smile, I could hardly believe my eyes. She was an older petite woman who wasn’t afraid to try something new. I gave her the waiver form to fill out, which included a field to enter her birthday.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” I asked.

“74.”

She was about to be the oldest person we gave a lesson to in Ohio, perhaps even the oldest in the entire U.S., and she could not have been more excited about it.

She jokingly asked for a locker room, which we didn’t have at the outdoor boat show. I promised to keep an eye on her belongings and store them behind the table while she took a lesson.

Her instructor Wassim walked with her to the launch area by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she practiced standing up on the board while they were on land. After she was comfortable with the basic movements, Charlotte put on her helmet and prepared for the water. She cruised around on her stomach, very slowly at first -- a little too slow at first -- which is what riders learn about during their first experience. The eFoil needs to maintain a certain amount of speed to maneuver.

“Steady, even speed on the trigger,” Wassim instructed her. “Go a little bit faster now.”

She moved from her stomach to her knees and started to get the hang of it. Then Wassim asked her if she was ready to try standing. She nodded. She slowly shifted her weight upward before feeling unsteady and falling off to the side of the board, arms outstretched on either side of her. It was a perfect bail, as we call it, and all part of learning during the first lesson.

After she fell for the first time, Wassim asked her if she still wanted to keep going, without hesitation, she nodded her head “yes” and with determination in her eye, she got back on the board. She stood up a little faster, and cruised a little bit longer, before declaring that she’d had enough.

“Once I stood up, I went “ahhhh” and then I fell,” she said to me afterward. “It was a lot of fun. You made it look so easy when I saw you.”

I asked her if she’s always this adventurous, and if she has friends who like to try new things as well?

“They are all wimps,” she quipped. “Most 40-year-olds wouldn’t even try something like this.”

Her husband picked her up at the marina afterward, and he just shook his head and smiled when I asked him if Charlotte is always this adventurous.

“I’ve been shaking my head for 50 years.”

North Coast Harbor Boat Show promotion: 20% off lessons, huge discounts on eFoils

Rich efoiling near First Energy Stadium by the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland.

Do you want to learn what it is like to fly above water? Then you must try one of our eFoils. For one-day only tomorrow, we are giving lessons at 20% off -- first come, first serve.

This special promotion is for the North Coast Harbor Boat Show in downtown Cleveland by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We are the first tent booth on the corner, in front of Voinovich Park and near First Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns.  

We are also offering a big end-of-season discount on purchasing a Lift eFoil, and you will have yours in time to still enjoy the water this year. You definitely want to get set up for next summer, and now is the best time to buy this amazing new water toy. 

Stop by and see us. We will also provide demonstrations throughout the day. 

eFoil Over Erie's booth at the North Coast Harbor Boat Show

Wassim on big blue six-two at the North Coast Harbor Boat Show.

Parker Dam State Park and the Park Ranger Encounter

Tiffany and Chase Pauling after their first eFoil lesson at Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.  

If the look on the face of the Pennsylvania park ranger at Parker Dam State Park is any indication, no one saw an eFoil coming to Clearfield County, Pennsylvania this year.

Wassim had just finished a demonstration for my brother, Chase, and his wife, Tiffany, when a park officer sprinted over to the beach area where we were standing. Once he approached us, he actually didn't know what to say. So Wassim opened the conversation, explaining that this weird board he just saw flying over the water is called an eFoil. It's a new water sport that allows you to surf over calm lake waters. No waves necessary.

The officer, kind as he was, stood in awe, not knowing what to say. Finally, after a good look around, he declared, "Well, it is a registered watercraft. It's electric. And you have your PFD (personalized flotation device). I guess you are good to go. I'll check with someone when I get back to the office. But yeah, I think you're good."

Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. 

Since Wassim, Rich and I have started eFoiling, we've had conversations with dozens of officers who patrol the waterways in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They are doing their jobs to ensure everyone is safe. Many of the officers are curious. They've never seen or heard of an eFoil before. We are always willing to answer any questions they have and listen to what they tell us. Because the sport is so new and is quite mesmerizing to see, the officers are interested in learning more about it, which is helpful for everyone. 

After the officer gave us the green light to continue on as we were, Chase ventured out into the water to try the eFoil for the first time. During his lesson, he became comfortable on his stomach, then on his knees, and slowly rose to a standing position. Standing over six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, Chase did well on Lift's 6'2 Explorer with the 200 wing.

Wassim gives Chase some pointers during his first eFoil lesson. 

Tiffany watched from the shore as her husband stood up on the board and glided across the water. At that point, we didn't need to convince her to try it. She was ready. Like Chase, she stood up and began planing on the board in less than 10 minutes during her lesson.

I could not have been more excited to share my love of eFoiling with them. What's even more remarkable about this couple is that they don't have any stand-up paddleboard or surfing experience. Both of them were able to stand up and plane on the board with ease.

After our eFoiling sessions, we all ventured back to our campsite, but couldn't stop talking about the experience. It's a sport for the entire family.  --Dena

Edgewater LIVE and a shout-out from famous reggae musician Carlos Jones

Thousands of Clevelanders attend Edgewater Live on August 15. Efoil Over Erie surfers demonstrated this new water sport during the live concert. 

One of Cleveland's famous and beloved musicians, Carlos Jones, probably never heard of eFoiling before August 15, but by the end of his performance during Edgewater Live, he was singing about it.

After a spectacular sunset evening eFoiling in front of thousands of people, Rich, Wassim and I were packing up our Lift boards when I stopped suddenly on the beach at the sound of Carlos's voice as the reggae music continued on.

"Efoillllinnngggg for the very first timeeeee...."  Holy smokes, did Carlos Jones just give us a plug during his performance? I wondered out loud. Yes, indeed! We never asked him to do that, but I gotta admit, anyone who attended the last Edgewater Live concert and gazed out into the water seemed mesmerized by this new water sport. As a courtesy, I did let the Cleveland Metroparks know that we were making an appearance. They were thrilled, they said. We just needed to stay past the buoys.


One guy chased us down in his car at the end of the event, "So glad I found you! What is that thing called? I was trying to type it into Google, and I couldn't find it. I just did a search for 'water hovercraft.'"

Actually, I heard that a lot. At first, people aren't even sure if they are seeing things correctly, and then they ask if it is a hovercraft. This actually makes sense because it is really like flying over water.

Hydrofoils are certainly common in popular surfing areas such as Hawaii and California. But in Cleveland, where surfing is unheard of (well, at least until now!) hydrofoils are foreign, let alone electric ones that are powered by motors.

So many people stopped to talk to us throughout the evening, and we couldn't have been more grateful for their questions and interest. Let us know if you'd like to try it out.

If you haven't done so already, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for all our video updates. -Dena

The Big Blue Six-Two has Arrived

Kona, the cockapoo, approves of Lift's new 6'2" board. 

When we ordered our first eFoil last winter, we thought it would be easy to share between Wassim and me. Oh, how wrong we were.

In the beginning of the summer, one of us rode a stand-up paddleboard, while the other flew over Lake Erie on the eFoil. We would then take turns, which was fine at first. But as both of us increased in skill, it became more difficult to get back on a slow-moving stand-up paddleboard. Enter "Big Blue" -- Lift's new 6'2" board. Our days of sharing are over.

The board arrived today, only five days after we placed the order. First, we will make a quick trip to register it with the state of Ohio. We plan to have this baby on the water tomorrow. Kona, our cockapoo, is officially the first one to stand on it.

This electric hydrofoil board will be great for our beginner lessons. At the larger size, it is more stable and sure to catch everyone's eye. The board's turquoise blue color is attractive. Having boards of different sizes will give us the opportunity to accommodate various skill levels and provide different experiences on the water.

To learn more about eFoil Over Erie, visit our website and contact us if you'd like to see it or take a lesson.  -Dena

Bald Eagle State Park - eFoil Over Erie's Pennsylvania road trip

Bald Eagle State Park offers a pristine lake nestled in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, just a short drive from Penn State University. 

One of the best things about the Lift eFoil is just how portable it is. We wanted to test this out for sure, and decided to take our board on a trip to Bald Eagle State Park near State College, Pennsylvania (home of Penn State University).

The travel bag is extremely well-made, and it was easy to load up our 5'6" board into our SUV and hit the road. We also took a cooler, a stand-up paddleboard, a change of clothes and snacks. Kona, our Cockapoo, came with us. He's always game for adventure.

Water conditions at Bald Eagle were calm and warm. The lake has lots of little inlets, which were fun to explore. Boaters, jet skiers and beach-goers stopped to ask about it. Because I have family in the central Pennsylvania area, I'm there quite frequently and offered up lessons for anyone who wants to try it.

Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I know the state is loaded with freshwater lakes of all sizes, and in some really historic cute towns. With the eFoil's portability, it's possible to surf and explore in many different areas.

Our spare battery really came in handy on this trip, too. Wassim and I took turns throughout the day and used both of them on the trip.

And if you are ever at Bald Eagle State Park, you must check out the Mad Cow ice cream shop, which looks like a barn from the outside. It's under new ownership, and we were very impressed with their hospitality and tasty treats. They even have a special menu item for dogs, which Kona couldn't resist.

Bald Eagle State Park, we will be back! -Dena